joyfulhomeschooler Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 When asked what my daughter wanted to learn about this year, of course she responded with PRINCESSES! :) Obviously we are going to learn about real life ones and not the cartoon fairy tale ones... although we may incorporate that too. So I am at a loss of how exactly to go about teaching this. Should I myself study Grace Kelly, Princess Diana, etc. and then summarize for her? What about turning it into a character study? Really any ideas would be very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 If you do use the original fairy tales, you can pick one from each country, study the country, study things from each tale (ocean life with the mermaid, sleep with Sleeping Beauty, etc). For a real-princesses-only you can study the country, the geography, the roles the princess plays in each government, maybe make food from each country, related craft, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfn10 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 (edited) My daughters love princesses as well and may someday wish to learn about them. The difficulty is that there are few princesses covered in history texts. Why? That could be a big topic discussing power, property and how societies have viewed women and men through the ages. Another topic could be different methods of government-monarchy, aristocracy, feudalism, and so forth. How does a regular kid view these governments? Are they "fair"? To what extent should power over other people be passed from father to son/daughter rather than on merit? What are the benefits and drawbacks of these governments? Princess Diana and Princess Grace both married princes and thus became princesses. You may also ask her to study Queen Mary, Elizabeth I, Victoria, Elizabeth II, Queen Isabella and so forth. I believe some nations have changed their laws regarding primogeniture fairly recently (thinking Sweden). Finally, fairy tale princesses are enchanting. Why? What would happen next? Edited September 18, 2011 by cfn10 Edited there to their. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenjenn Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 One thing I did with my oldest daughter when she was in 1st grade was "Cinderella Around the World". There are Cinderella-type stories (rags to riches, magical shoe, magical helper) in Korea, Egypt, China, even a male Cinderella-type character from Ireland, etc. She loved the stories and it was a great way to show her how stories are told, changes, and retold throughout the world (and I made sure to emphasize and demonstrate that fact.) We did expand upon that.. looking at older versions of stories and comparing them with modern Disney princess stories, and how elements of mythology exist in modern storytelling as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 When asked what my daughter wanted to learn about this year, of course she responded with PRINCESSES! :) Obviously we are going to learn about real life ones and not the cartoon fairy tale ones... although we may incorporate that too. So I am at a loss of how exactly to go about teaching this. Should I myself study Grace Kelly, Princess Diana, etc. and then summarize for her? What about turning it into a character study? Really any ideas would be very helpful. I recently recommended The Barefoot Book of Princesses by Caitlin Matthews - it has princess stories from around the world. The series of Cinderella stories from around the world would also be worth looking at. You could also touch on the various forms royalty take around the world, e.g. sultans or sheikhs in Arabia, emperors in Japan. We have a lovely fiction book called Princesses are not Quitters which is very amusing, and would be a good angle for the character study. In the book the princesses are bored and decide to do the work of their maids for a day. They are soon overwhelmed and exhausted, but princesses are not quitters, so they finish out the day, then enact laws to make life more equitable for the workers in the kingdom. Honestly, for a younger child (of the age that probably responded that she'd like to learn about princesses) I'd probably focus more on myths and legends as a backdrop to a culture study, while also bringing in a character study angle. Real princesses could make a very interesting study for older girls, particularly what it means for commoners to marry into royal families, as there are more and more examples nowadays - Princess Mary the Australian who married into the Danish royal family, and the wives of the current and previous Jordanian rulers come to mind. I think the same thing happened in Japan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowfall Posted September 18, 2011 Share Posted September 18, 2011 There is a series of books about real life princesses on Amazon. The series is Ready-To-Read Young Princesses Around the World. It's hilarious that I know this, because my daughter couldn't care less about princesses and neither could I, but somehow I know this anyway. :lol: Here's one of them, to help you find them all: http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-Royal-Pony-Ready-Read/dp/0689871910/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b There's also this book: http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Queens-Portraits-Women-Power/dp/0525471588/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1Z4VGM7KF8ED2&colid=FQRI03OI2QB1 That's queens, not princesses, but almost all queens were a princess first. :) This book is about the last princess of Hawai'i: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Princess-Story-Kaiulani-Hawaii/dp/0688180205/ref=wl_it_dp_o_npd?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2H08K5FWKFH6S&colid=FQRI03OI2QB1 If you have Netflix, there is also a movie about her, although most of it would be over a child's head. Still, there's nothing inappropriate in it that I recall, and you could explain as you watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Thanks everyone for the great idea's. I think many of you are on to something with her age and adding in the myths and legends or stories from other countries about princesses. We are actually doing my fathers world "Exploring Countries and Cultures" this year with her older brother so this could really fit in nicely. I hadn't thought of doing it that way. You also gave some good book recommendations. So thanks again for all the advice... now I have some planning to do :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 There's a GREAT new series about real princesses ... here's a link to one of them. They're really nice, complex picture book biographies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Oh, what a great idea! My girls love princesses! I think we'll take a week or two and learn about them as well. I just followed the links and got 3 of the 4 Young Princesses books (got two from paperbackswap.com and one used from Amazon). The Cleopatra one is still a bit too expensive...I'd like to find it cheaper. I think I'll mix a few fairy tales in too and discuss the differences between real life and fairy tales. And we'll do some princess type crafts. And discuss the life of a real princess. Thanks for the great idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Princess Diana and Princess Grace both married princes and thus became princesses. You may also ask her to study Queen Mary, Elizabeth I, Victoria, Elizabeth II, Queen Isabella and so forth. I believe some nations have changed their laws regarding primogeniture fairly recently (thinking Sweden). I think that would be important. Some princesses grow up to become Queens. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Glad others are gleaning stuff from this thread as well. I plan on doing some planning here tonight :) Any other ideas? I think I am going to try tying it into what country her brother is learning about currently that way she will be learning along with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyagain Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Have you looked at this and this from homeschoolshare? The first one looks better for a younger girl and the second for older girls. Hmmmm......now that I look at them, I think my daughter would enjoy them too!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted September 19, 2011 Author Share Posted September 19, 2011 Have you looked at this and this from homeschoolshare? The first one looks better for a younger girl and the second for older girls. Hmmmm......now that I look at them, I think my daughter would enjoy them too!:) lol What little girl wouldn't love to learn about princesses for school :D. I love these thanks for sharing! We already have one of the books used too. It is the princess kiss one... very good book by the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Intellego has a unit study called "Globetrotting with Cinderella." It covers Cinderella stories from various countries. I bought it, but haven't started using it yet. It seems interesting based off the quick scan I gave it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova mama Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 For fiction reading, I recommend Princess Grace. Here's the description: This year two girls will be selected as princesses in the town parade, and Grace can’t wait to be one of them. It’s the perfect opportunity to dress up—but how, exactly, should a princess costume look? Grace asks her teacher for help, and soon the whole class is learning that there’s more to princesses than pink dresses and frills. From Kenya to China and from warriors to spies, princesses are a multicultural and multitalented bunch, and there are just as many kinds of happily ever afters—both for the royals and for Grace’s community and its princess parade. Have fun with your princess study! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen+4dc Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 We have a lovely fiction book called Princesses are not Quitters which is very amusing, and would be a good angle for the character study. In the book the princesses are bored and decide to do the work of their maids for a day. They are soon overwhelmed and exhausted, but princesses are not quitters, so they finish out the day, then enact laws to make life more equitable for the workers in the kingdom. Honestly, for a younger child (of the age that probably responded that she'd like to learn about princesses) I'd probably focus more on myths and legends as a backdrop to a culture study, while also bringing in a character study angle. This book sounds great! I highly recommend the book The Paper Bag Princess, it's about a princess who defeats a dragon and rescues her prince by using her brains! Only to find out in the end...well, okay, I won't spoil it!:D But, it's a princess who doesn't require saving;). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I don't know if you use Christian resources but if so Doorpost publishing has a book for Bible Study called Beauty & the Pig. http://www.doorposts.com/details.aspx?id=53 It's for ages 9 & up but there's a doll you can order and I would imagine you could tailor the information to use for character training with younger children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osaubi Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I just bought the Globetrotting with Cinderella also. I have looked at it up to chapter 4. We are going to use it as a presentation at our co-ops geography fair. So I looked through it to see what I need to change to make it into a presentation. I liked how you read the story, then studied the country ,and then went back to the story to notice any cultural differences. I LOVE The Paperbag Princess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 This book sounds great! I highly recommend the book The Paper Bag Princess, it's about a princess who defeats a dragon and rescues her prince by using her brains! Only to find out in the end...well, okay, I won't spoil it!:D But, it's a princess who doesn't require saving;). Hmmm, kind of mixed on this one. I like the idea of it. From what I can see though... in the end she lets the prince treat her not so nice. :( Don't want my daughter learning that it's ok for men to treat women that way. Since you have read it though and I am just getting this from the reviews what are your thoughts on the ending? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutella08 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 DD learned to read by borrowing almost anything from the library that had "princess" as a keyword. We did the Cinderella around the world, Smartypants etc. It was a bittersweet moment when the princess-obsessed little girl woke up on her 7th birthday & declared "no more princesses". :001_huh: Anyway, I found the Royal Diaries series of historical fiction as her interest was waning, so we only read a couple to coordinate with history/unit studies: Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C. Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466 Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544 Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 The Royal Diary: Catherine, the Great Journey Russia, 1743 Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France, 1769 Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia, England, 1829 Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914 Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven, Japan 1858 Sondok: Princess of the Moon and Stars, Korea, A.D. 595 Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, India, 1627 Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 Lady Of Palenque : Flower of Bacal, Mesoamerica, A.D. 749 Not exactly princess-centered theme, but there's some cute royalty references in the Math Adventure series with Sir Cumference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 I recently recommended The Barefoot Book of Princesses by Caitlin Matthews - it has princess stories from around the world. The series of Cinderella stories from around the world would also be worth looking at. You could also touch on the various forms royalty take around the world, e.g. sultans or sheikhs in Arabia, emperors in Japan. We have a lovely fiction book called Princesses are not Quitters which is very amusing, and would be a good angle for the character study. In the book the princesses are bored and decide to do the work of their maids for a day. They are soon overwhelmed and exhausted, but princesses are not quitters, so they finish out the day, then enact laws to make life more equitable for the workers in the kingdom. Honestly, for a younger child (of the age that probably responded that she'd like to learn about princesses) I'd probably focus more on myths and legends as a backdrop to a culture study, while also bringing in a character study angle. Real princesses could make a very interesting study for older girls, particularly what it means for commoners to marry into royal families, as there are more and more examples nowadays - Princess Mary the Australian who married into the Danish royal family, and the wives of the current and previous Jordanian rulers come to mind. I think the same thing happened in Japan? You are so right! After doing more research and reading all the posts. I have decided the "real princess approach" would be better for an older child. I am going the route of myths and legends with the culture study... I will throw in character as I see fit. Many of the book recommendations on here will be included :) Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 DD learned to read by borrowing almost anything from the library that had "princess" as a keyword. We did the Cinderella around the world, Smartypants etc. It was a bittersweet moment when the princess-obsessed little girl woke up on her 7th birthday & declared "no more princesses". :001_huh: Anyway, I found the Royal Diaries series of historical fiction as her interest was waning, so we only read a couple to coordinate with history/unit studies: Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C. Isabel: Jewel of Castilla, Spain, 1466 Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor, England, 1544 Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country, France, 1553 The Royal Diary: Catherine, the Great Journey Russia, 1743 Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France, 1769 Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia, England, 1829 Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914 Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven, Japan 1858 Sondok: Princess of the Moon and Stars, Korea, A.D. 595 Jahanara: Princess of Princesses, India, 1627 Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 Lady Of Palenque : Flower of Bacal, Mesoamerica, A.D. 749 Not exactly princess-centered theme, but there's some cute royalty references in the Math Adventure series with Sir Cumference. It is so sad when they outgrow a stage :( Why can't they just stay little forever lol. Thanks for this though! Looking them up on the library website now. I am still getting aquainted with the paperbackswap site... but hopefully will be able to find them there if no one else snatches them first lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joyfulhomeschooler Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 It is so sad when they outgrow a stage :( Why can't they just stay little forever lol. Thanks for this though! Looking them up on the library website now. I am still getting aquainted with the paperbackswap site... but hopefully will be able to find them there if no one else snatches them first lol Wait... these might be too old for her yet? Maybe for when she is a little more mature... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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